(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

If you wear glasses or contacts as an adult, do you remember how old you were when you first started wearing corrective lenses, and how much it changed your life? For some kids, getting glasses means the difference between sitting in the front row and still not catching everything the teacher is doing at the front of the class, and sitting somewhere more comfortable while still able to follow along with what is being taught.

It can mean the difference between engaging a sideways head tilt to see clearly the words a teacher is writing and being able to sit up straight. It can mean the difference between headaches and eye strain, and distraction-free learning.

Because of the Benedum Foundation and Coplin Health System’s Optical Academy Glasses2Classes program, more than 800 Wirt County middle and high school students received eye exams last week, and approximately 130 of them are getting new glasses.

There is no cost for the exam or the glasses.

Every student at the school was able to take advantage of the opportunity. So were staff members and home school children. That is an incredible gift to a community.

Coplin Health started in Wirt County, where there is no optometrist.

“We’re always looking for ways to serve the health needs of our community,” said James Liebau, marketing and events coordinator for Coplin.

This program serves the health and educational needs of Wirt County students, and is an eye-opening example of what is possible when community partners work together. Thank you, folks.